ETA: If you’ve arrived here via Google, keep in mind this post was published in April 2008. It is not recent. Thank you.

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Living in the moment is no fun, so the draft “gurus” – for lack of a better adjective – are already looking ahead to the 2009 NFL Draft.

It should come as no surprise that many already have James in the Top 10 5. ESPN’s Mel Kiper has Lil’ Animal at the very top of his board. He is impressed with his production on the field, as all of Buckeye Nation is. He has already shown that he can produce week in and week out. Meanwhile, Todd McShay is more impressed with a Trojan, Rey Maualuga. He is drawn to his upside and potential. Only time will tell if he lives up to it. FWIW, McShay has JL at #3 on his big board.

SI’s mock draft, appearing on FanNation, has the man going at #5, 2 spots behind Beanie, while a Scout.com version has Lil Animal at the top. Lots of other Buckeyes appearing in these mock drafts. Ohio State is going to dominate!

As if that September 13th trip to SoCal wasn’t already intriguing. Dueling LBs? I love it!